Sarah Vaughan - After Hours at the London House (1958) (eac-log-cover)

Sarah Vaughan - After Hours at the London House (1958)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Mercury | rem: 2005

Allmusic:
Seven months after Mercury recorded Sarah Vaughan in a live setting for the surprisingly successful At Mr. Kelly's, the label planned another date with the microphones for the night of March 7, 1958. This time, however, instead of setting up at Mr. Kelly's (although she was booked for three shows that night), the producers invited a small group of friends and well-wishers to another Chicago club, London House, for an after-hours session. Vaughan expanded her trio with a quartet of Count Basie titans, including trumpeter Thad Jones and tenor Frank Wess, and as if the settings weren't challenging enough already, decided to record a set that, in true after-hours fashion, was completely improvised. (The cover photo even shows her studying a sheet as she sings.) Although the results are certainly far looser and more relaxed than a studio date, Vaughan and the instrumentalists don't shine as expected. Vaughan in particular plays it safe with this material, drawing out her cozy ballads with interpretive ease, but never taking them as far as she could in a more stable setting. The format breaks down completely on the final song, "Thanks for the Memory," when Vaughan misreads a lyric, puzzles over it for a few seconds, restarts the number, flubs it again, starts over one more time, and finally wraps up after seven minutes by declaring the session -- while still singing, of course -- "the most craziest, upsettin', down-sided recording date I ever had in my life."

Tracks
-1. "Like Someone in Love" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:37
-2. "Detour Ahead" (Lou Carter, Herb Ellis, John Frigo) – 5:28
-3. "Three Little Words" (Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby) – 3:40
-4. "I'll String Along with You" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) – 5:15
-5. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) – 4:00
-6. "Speak Low" (Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill) – 4:51
-7. "All of You" (Porter) – 4:15
-8. "Thanks for the Memory" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) – 6:58
Recorded March 7, 1958, at The London House, Chicago, USA

Personnel
* Sarah Vaughan – vocals
* Ronell Bright – piano
* Richard Davis – double bass
* Roy Haynes – drums
* Thad Jones – trumpet
* Wendell Culley
* Henry Corker – trombone
* Frank Wess – tenor saxophone
* Carmen Cavallaro – introduction voice

sample & buy: After Hours at the London House